Hinged box for jewelry and other articles



Dec. 21, 1954 R. A. WETHERELL 2,697,537

HINGED BOX FOR JEWELRY AND OTHER ARTICLES Filed Nov. 27, 1951 fiiv i2%.? EmeZZfl. Miemll V 5 ,MM 4 ya HINGED BOX FOR JEWELRY AND OTHERARTICLES Russell A. Wetherell, Attleboro, Mass., assignor to The MasonBox Company, Attleboro Falls, Mass., a corporation of MassachusettsApplication November 27, 1951, Serial No. 258,335

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-31) This invention relates to small decorative boxesof the kind commonly used to display jewelry and the like, objects ofthe invention being to produce a box which is simple and economical inconstruction, which is neat and attractive in appearance and which isstrong and durable in use.

According to this invention the box comprises top and bottom partshaving end walls with opposing surfaces which substantially meet in aplane when the box is closed and having back walls provided withinterfitting elongate concave and convex pivotal surfaces extendinglengthwise of the back walls and sliding on each other to permit the toppart to swing to open position, the convex surface being disposedsubstantially wholly below the aforesaid plane and the concave surfaceextending below said plane in front of the convex surface. Preferablythe top and bottom parts have narrow flanges of approximately equalwidth extending around the box adjacent the aforesaid plane. While thetop and bottom parts may each be formed in one piece, each of the partspreferably comprises a rim or frame which is open at the top and bottom,the openings being closed by cover members which telescope over theframe members and seat against the aforesaid flanges. In the preferredembodiment the convex and concave surfacesterminate short of the ends ofthe box and the aforesaid opposing surfaces extend all the way to theback of the box. Thus the aforesaid flanges may be made of equal widtheven though they be comparatively thin, and instead of the concave andconvex surfaces showing at the ends of the box the flanges may extendcontinuously all the way around the box.

For the purpose of illustration a typical embodiment of the invention isshown in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is an end view of thebox when closed;

Fig. 2 is a similar view when the box is open;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3--3 of Fig. with the cover closed.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the box with the cover open;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a similar section with the cover closed.

The particular embodiment of the invention chosen for the purpose ofillustration comprises top and bottom frame members 1 and 2 which areopen at the top and bottom respectively and which have exterior flanges3 and 4 extending continuously therearound. Fitted snugly over the framemembers and seating against the flanges 3 and 4 are covers 5 and 6. Thecovers 5 and 6 may be secured to the frame members by means of cement.While the parts may be formed of any suitable material the frame membersare preferably formed of plastic and the covers are cardboard. The twoframe members have flat surfaces 7 and 8 which seat against each other1n a plane when the box is closed, these surfaces extending across thefront and ends of the box and thence along the back of the box.

Extending lengthwise of the back wall of the bottom frame member are twoupwardly-facing elongate convex surfaces 9, these surfaces beingdisposed below the aforesaid plane and extending upwardly substantiallyto the plane. The top frame member has corresponding concave surfaces 10which slide over the convex surfaces. In front of the concave surfaces10 are depending ridges 11, the bottom frame member being provided withcorresponding troughs 12 to receive the ridges when the nited StatesPatent 0 Too box is closed. As shown in Fig. 5 the convex and concavesurfaces stop short of the ends of the-box and they are interrupted atthe middle of the box to accommodate the C-string 13 which yieldinglyholds the cover either in closed or open position in well-known manner,the spring being disposed in recesses in the frame members as shown inFigs. 3 and 6.

By disposing the convex surfaces 9 wholly below the horizontal plane ofthe abutting faces 7 and 8 of the frame members they may be terminatedshort of the ends of the box so that they do not show at the ends. Thisdisposition of the convex surfaces wholly below the aforesaid plane alsopermits the two flanges 3 and 4 to be of equal width, even whenrelatively thin in a ver- It)ical direction, and to extend continuouslyaround the It should be understood that the present disclosure is forthe purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes allmodifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of theappended claims. For example, the parts have been referred to as top andbottom parts for convenience only; inasmuch as the parts can obviouslybe reversed the claims are to be interpreted as covering the claimedconstruction whether used as shown or upside down.

I claim:

1. A box comprising top and bottom frame members open at the top andbottom respectively and having end walls with opposing surfaces whichsubstantially meet in a plane when the box is closed and having backwalls provided with interfitting concave and convex pivotal surfacesextending lengthwise of the back walls and sliding on each other topermit the top part to swing into open position, said members havingnarrow flanges extending around the box with opposed faces substantiallymeeting in said plane, and top and bottom covers telescoping over saidmembers and seating against said flanges, said concave and convexsurfaces terminating short of the ends of the box and said opposingsurfaces extending to the back of the box, said convex surface beingdisposed below said plane substantially tangent to the plane and saidconcave surface extending below said plane in front of the convexsurface, the bottom member having an upwardly extending flange aroundits inner edge to fit into the upper member when the box is closed,thereby to restrain shift of said top and bottom parts when the box isclosed and also to permit the flanges on the top and bottom parts toapproximate each other in thickness.

2. A box comprising top and bottom parts having exterior flanges andopposing surfaces which meet in a plane when the box is closed, theopposed faces of the flanges constituting parts of said surfaces, saidsurface of one part having an elongate recess extending along the backof the box and spaced inwardly from the rear edge of the flange, and theother part having an elongate rib spaced inwardly from the rear edge ofthe flange and extending into the recess when the box is closed, therear edge of said recess and said rear edge being rounded to form aconvex surface and said rear side of the rib being rounded to form aconcave surface, said convex and concave surfaces interfitting and beingsubstantially tangent to said plane, so that when the box is opened therear face of said rib slides over said rounded edge of the recess andthe flange of the other part slides over said rounded rear edge.

3. A box comprising top and bottom parts having exterior flanges andopposing surfaces which meet in a plane when the box is closed, theopposed faces of the flanges constituting parts of said surfaces, saidsurface of one part having a row of recesses along the back of the boxand spaced inwardly from the rear edge of the flange, and the other parthaving projections spaced inwardly from the rear edge of the flange andextending into the recesses when the box is closed, the rear edges ofsaid recesses and said rear edge of the flange being rounded to formconvex surfaces, the rear sides of said projections being rounded toform concave surfaces interfitting with said convex surfaces, saidconvex and concave surfaces being substantially tangent to said plane,so that when the box is opened the rear faces of the projections slideover szrid rounded edges of the recesses and the flange of the Numberother part slides over said rounded rear edge. 2,442,873 2,534,989References Cited in the file of this patent gggZSgZ k 5 428 I UNITE1)STATES PATENTS 2,571,909 Number Name Date 2,014,951 Ra'thbun Sept. 17,1935 2,233,326 Rooney Feb. 25, 1941 2,296,599 Cbstello Sept. 22, 1942 10Number 2,314,245 Rathbun Mar. 16, 1943 343,406

Name Date Graham June 8, 1948 Radde Dec. 19, 1950 Budlong June 19, 1951Costello Aug. 14, 1951 Magnenat Oct. 16, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS CountryDate Great Britain Feb. 19, 1931

